With less than one and a half months to go to the opening of the Singapore Premier League's midseason transfer window on January 1, the Geylang International club hierarchy is probably in the midst of planning their upcoming recruitment exercise.
With the Eagles flying high in third in the league, it may seem difficult to pinpoint which area of their squad needs strengthening.
But fans interviewed for the Ultras Eagles Blog are clear on where new signings could possibly be made to maintain their beloved club's lofty league position: the flanks.
Given Iqbal Hussain's lack of match fitness since the start of this season and the premature end to Sora Tanaka's loan stint in July, Geylang sorely lack good options on the wings.
UE youth Lutfil Hadi observes how the Eagles' preferred wing play could not be executed to plan. "I noticed at times when we tried to play up towards the wingers, the ball would get intercepted or couldn't manage to feed the wingers. So if we strengthen our left and right midfielders, it'll create better passing lanes to play upfront."
Adds ardent fan Alex Bong, "A winger on both sides can help decoy opposing defenders away from Tomoyuki Doi."
Presently, Geylang head coach Noor Ali pushes both of his wingbacks Shakir Hamzah and Naqiuddin Eunos to fill in the advanced wide roles.
While the duo have executed their duties to great effect and caused havoc in the opposition halves - as evidenced by their combined three goals and three assists in the last five matches - their deployment to advanced positions has left the Eagles backline vulnerable to wide attacks.
"It has been obvious that GIFC always get caught out with simple ball down the flanks," says a concerned Eagles diehard Fabian Siew with a furrow deepening between his brows.
"A steady left midfielder can take some attacking responsibilities off Shakir. He can spend more time defending and help out in attack if needed.
"Shakir seems to be carrying a niggling injury and doesn't seem able to run up and down the flank for the full 90 minutes. A new signing will help his cause."
Alex has one exciting suggestion for the club management to consider, which would see a former crowd favourite returning to the Eagles Nest. "Make a loan deal with Nanjing FC to bring back Moresche the Brazillian magician."
For the football enthusiast's fantasy to come true though, this would mean dropping one of the quality over-21 foreign signings (Bezecourt, Doi, Sakuma, Taniguchi, Tezuka) to satisfy the league's matchday rules.
"An alternative would be to go local by prising Arshad Shamin from Albirex," chimes Alex, who retains fondness for the club's old boys. Arshad turned out on a six-month loan for the Eagles during the 2023 season, contributing three assists in nine games.
In the absence of any reinforcement before the new year, forthcoming opponents Hougang United on Sunday (November 24) would relish the chance to unleash their tall forward line against the Geylang rearguard.
"I think Hougang can easily exploit our flanks, as shown in our last few games with them," says Fabian, referring to the Eagles' somewhat nervy 6-2 victory in June followed by a shock first defeat of the season in the August encounter. "Our frontline needs to work harder to prevent them from sending long balls to their wide players and also their lanky forward, who can bring their wingers in."
One can understand Fabian's worry when imagining a potential matchup between a 1.92m Stjepan Plazonja and a 1.73m Akmal Azman.
"But I think a clean sheet will be difficult," shares the loyal supporter as he braces the challenge ahead.
Despite the defensive weaknesses, fans are still expectant of a victory.
"Nothing less than a victory," declares Alex confidently while showing a V sign.
Agreeing with his assessment, Hadi forecasts the final result of the Cheetahs clash. "I predict 3-1 in Geylang's favour."
Team news: Shakir Hamzah and Naquiddin Eunos returned from the Singapore camp after an impressive outing against Myanmar in a 3-2 international friendly win on November 14. The latter would look to add on to his six goals for club and country this year.
Player to watch: Vincent Bezecourt - The French midfield maestro looked to be a man in a hurry to accomplish a mission on the night of November 3 when he layed off two assists in the second half of a match against Young Lions before zipping off to Changi Airport to catch a flight to France. Recharged after a three-week international break, the former New York Red Bulls player would be key to dictating play from midfield and fashioning goalscoring chances for his forward line.
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